Ducks squeeze sweep out of Stanford

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EUGENE, Ore. – Mitchell Tolman laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Aaron Payne from third and give No. 13 Oregon a 4-3 win over No. 21 Stanford on Sunday at PK Park in a Pac-12 Conference game.

Tolman bunted the ball toward third and Stanford pitcher Sam Lundquist couldn’t make the play allowing Payne to finish a two-run ninth inning rally and give the Ducks a series sweep.

Ryon Healy came up big for Oregon for the second straight game. A day after hitting a pair of two-run home runs, the junior drove in the tying run earlier in the ninth inning on a RBI double down the left-field line. Brett Thomas scored the tying run from second after starting the rally with a one-out walk off Garrett Hughes. Payne reached on a base on balls by Lundquist, who entered the game after Hughes threw one pitch, a ball, to Payne.

Healy, who batted .455 in the three-game series with two home runs and seven RBI, got the Ducks on the board early with a RBI ground out scoring Thomas in the first.

Oregon (33-10, 16-5 Pac-12) pushed the lead to 2-0 in the fifth on a Thomas RBI single to center field that scored Josh Graham from second.

Stanford (23-15, 9-9 Pac-12) tied the game with two unearned runs in the top of the sixth inning after it looked like Oregon had gotten out of the inning. Justin Ringo hit into what looked to be an inning-ending double play, but Graham was called for catcher’s interference putting runners on first and second with one out.

After Ringo moved to second and Lonnie Kauppila moved to third on a ground out, both scored on a Brian Ragira single to center field to tie the game, 2-2.

Ringo gave Stanford a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth with a solo home run that carried just over the glove of right fielder Scott Heineman.

The Ducks threatened in the eighth but left the bases loaded when pinch hitter Nick Catalano struck out to end the threat.

Darrell Hunter came out of the bullpen to retire the first two batters in the ninth, before Garrett Cleavinger got the final out on a fly ball to left field.

Cleavinger (4-0) picked up the win while throwing just one pitch. Lindquist (1-1) took the loss for Stanford.

Thomas led Oregon going 2-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored. Healy finished 1-for-5 with two RBI.

The Ducks return to action Tuesday when they open a five-game road trip at Seattle University. Oregon also plays Seattle on Wednesday before starting a three-game Pac-12 Conference series at Washington State on Friday.